


Friends of Normal

by cerise



Category: High School Musical (Movies), High School Musical 2
Genre: M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-11-02
Updated: 2007-11-02
Packaged: 2017-10-17 10:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/175691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerise/pseuds/cerise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of vignettes, post-HSM2.  Sharpay wants everything to go back to normal; Ryan never wants to see normal again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends of Normal

  
The first thing Sharpay says to Ryan when they get home from the talent show is, "Thank God that's all over. Now things can finally start getting back to normal." She looks at him expectantly, pausing to give him a chance to echo her relief. Her face falls when he only averts his gaze instead – another reminder that they've drifted apart in a way that can't be mended, and they both know it.

They are no longer the singular unit they'd both assumed they would always be. It makes him sad, but at the same time, he's not sorry, either.

Normal has never really been a friend to Ryan Evans, anyway.

  
+

  
To his pleasant surprise, Gabriella and Kelsi both keep in touch with him after Lava Springs. He waits for a drop-off in contact when school starts, but that doesn't come, either. He isn't quite sure what's changed, but he doesn't question it too much, either.

So Gabriella keeps waving to him in the halls and sending him emails filled with netspeak, which makes him smile, but he and Kelsi have been acquaintances long enough that they just plunge directly into the music geekery. They spend hours instant-messaging about musicals, debating Sondheim vs. Schwartz vs. Webber and brutally critiquing the latest Broadway revivals. Two weeks after Lava Springs, Kelsi calls him a "kindred spirit," and that's when Ryan realizes that he's made his first real friends that have nothing to do with Sharpay.

That, too, makes him happy.

  
+

  
The one person he expects to never hear from again is Chad Danforth. Summer aside, he expects Chad to be in line with Sharpay's expectations of normal on the first day of school.

So when Chad leans on Ryan's locker and barks, "Hey, Evans, are we gonna see you at baseball tryouts this year, or what?" Ryan nearly drops all his books. Chad flashes him a playful smirk and adds, "You're too good to say no. So say yes. Okay? Okay."

Ryan mumbles a vague affirmative, grateful his cheeks don't feel hot until _after_ Chad has trotted off.

  
+

"Trying out for sports? Are you dying of malaria?" Ryan ducks at Sharpay's attempts to feel his forehead for a fever.

"I've always like sports," he shrugs.

"What about theater? What about our art? What about... me?"

"You'll live?" It comes out like a plea; he is a bit unsure on this point, after all.

Her eyes narrow. "Ugh You'll get _so dirty_."

"The uniforms are cute." She cocks her head at that, conceding the point.

"I certainly hope the cute uniforms are the main draw, then," she replies primly, and he cocks his head at that, too.

  
+

  
His mother looks dubious at the news, carefully declaring his athletic aspirations intentions "just... wonderful." His father looks like he's just won the lottery, clapping him on the back too hard, ignoring the way Ryan winces. "That's my boy," he booms at Ryan, who smiles weakly.

Later, when they're alone, Sharpay files her nails to perfection and offers to do his. He consents, just out of habit, and she sighs as she grabs his hand, saying, "Those baseball-wielding cavemen will never appreciate your artist's soul, you know."

"Like you do?" It comes out sarcastic, but true to form, she doesn't notice.

  
+

  
Chad sees Ryan signing himself and Sharpay up for the winter musical and leans against the door, looking betrayed. "You still into all that dance crap or something? I thought we'd moved past this, Evans."

"I'll always be into it, and it's not crap," Ryan says merrily, underlining his own name on the sign-up sheet, for emphasis. "Just because I'm considering expanding my horizons doesn't mean I've turned into a different person."

"You can't be the servant of two masters, my friend."

"Huh."

"What."

"So... we're friends now?"

Ryan grins at Chad's retreating back, and Chad's dismissive, flustered wave.

  
+

  
The first time Chad steps into the Evans home is the first time Ryan has ever seen him look wide-eyed and uncertain. Ryan is instantly embarrassed at his opulent home, which their servants keep in museum-quality condition, and which he knows he takes for granted every single day.

Sharpay appears at the top of the stairs, instantly giving Chad a withering squint. "What is he doing here?"

"Homework," Ryan explains.

"Really." She crosses her arms and glares at Chad, who looks frozen to the spot in which he's standing.

"Come on," Ryan sighs, tugging him into their study.

  
+

Once they're there and books are open and spread before them, Chad very slowly starts to relax. "Dude, what is up with your sister's jihad against me? What'd I ever do to her?"

"It's not personal," Ryan mutters, not looking up from his history text. "She's like that with everyone. Actually, that's her version of nice. I think she may actually like you. It's hard to tell."

Chad laughs, a real belly-laugh. "He's a comedian, too," he says, tone teasing. "Whoda thunk Ryan Evans was so multi-talented."

Ryan really wants to kiss him just then.

But he doesn't.

  
+

  
Later, after Chad's gone, Sharpay scoots onto the couch and lays her head on his shoulder, stealing from his bowlful of popcorn. "You are barking up the wrong tree with that one, brother dear."

"What do you mean?" he asks flatly, through a mouthful of popcorn, not looking away. _Project Runway_ is on; it's one of their favorites.

She clicks her tongue at him. "You know what I mean."

"Not really."

"I worry about you. I'm entitled." It's the kindest thing she's said to him in a while. He puts his arm around her shoulders and says nothing.

  
+

  
Within weeks, Chad becomes a regular fixture in the Evans home. Sharpay stops making vague but distinctly threatening gestures at him with her bedazzled letter-opener. Ryan knows her well enough to know this is resignation.

"You know? I think she's starting to get used to me," Chad observes, tapping the coffee table with his pencil. Ryan makes an agreeable noise.

"So, Evans, can I ask you something?"

"Mmm?"

"It's kinda personal. Don't be mad."

Ryan thinks he knows what's coming, and inwardly, he braces himself. He has never had this conversation, not seriously.

"Are you... um... you know?"

  
+

  
Whatever else he's dabbled in this year, Ryan is, above all else, an actor. He trains his features to be totally blank, and stares at Chad with a distant, distracted expression. "Am I what?" He's not going to make it any easier for the other boy.

Chad squirms a little, ducks his head. "You know. With the theater. And the... pink. And the. The way you are. I don't know. You know what I mean."

Ryan thinks. Says, "If I answer that, will that change anything?"

"No." Chad frowns. "Maybe."

Ryan falls silent, hoping his math book hides his disappointment.

  
+

  
He avoids Chad for the next few days. Drama class becomes so awkward that for the first time in his life, he seriously considers skipping. He slowly slides into personal misery. For her part, Sharpay is overjoyed that he's no longer carting over "that riff-raff." Kelsi pats his hand sympathetically over lunch, even without knowing the details.

He considers spilling his guts to her via instant-messenger, but ultimately rejects that idea, even though he knows she might understand. Sometimes, she stares at Gabriella the same way he stares at Chad. But he wouldn't even know where to start.

  
+

  
When he gets an IM from Chad a week later, he almost deletes it. But all it says is: _Y RU BEING SUCH A DICK?_

He decides to ignore the question. _Caps is yelling on the internet. FYI._

The cursor blinks ominously at him, and then: _RU UPSET AT ME?_

 _No_ , Ryan lies, and hits enter.

_OK TO COME OVER NOW? I GOT SOME NEW WHEELS!!!!1!1!_

Ryan scoffs, knowing he won't be impressed by whatever car Chad's bought, but then it hits him that maybe it's just an excuse.

_I'll be here._

  
+

It's an older model Thunderbird, and Sharpay would die ten times over to see him climbing into the passenger seat.

"It's nice," he assures Chad, who gives him a wry, side-long glance.

"It may not be a 2008 pink Corvette," he says, without malice, running his fingers over the dashboard. "But I worked to buy this baby all on my own. Bet you've never had to work to buy anything before."

Ryan shrugs. "I don't have a car."

"Seriously?"

"My sister has one. We go all the same places. What does it matter?"

Chad shakes his head as he revs off.

  
+

  
After fifteen minutes of driving, Ryan ventures, "Where are we driving to?"

"Settle down, Miss Daisy," Chad tells him. "We're just driving. You're not mad at me, and we're good, so that's okay, right?"

And yeah, Ryan thinks he might hate Chad Danforth just then.

"Just curious," he mutters resentfully.

"We are driving away from your house," Chad sing-songs. "Out. Out into the big, bad world. Without Sharpay. You'll be fine."

"I go places without her all the time," he shoots back.

Chad quirks his eyebrow at him. "Right. Look, I promise you'll live. You got me, don't you?"

  
+

"This place is really... something." Ryan stares at his own reflection in the cutlery before him.

"It's what's known in Americana as a greasy spoon," Chad explains, sounding very patient.

"I've been to places like this before, y'know."

"Mmm. Slumming."

"It's not my fault my family is the way they are." Ryan leans back. He's not ashamed of being rich; he doesn't especially enjoy being made to feel like he should apologize for it.

"People can't help the way they are," Chad agrees. Their eyes meet for a split second, but in the next, Chad is ordering them both apple pie.

  
+

  
Chad looks embarrassed when Ryan slides a credit card across the table to their waitress without even asking him.

"You didn't have to do that," Chad says, back in the driver's seat.

"Oh." It hadn't even occurred to Ryan. "It's just habit."

"I'm not used to people having habits like that," Chad admits, looking sheepish. "At least this was a change of scenery for you. A day to go down in history." He hasn't taken the car out of park.

"I'm not as sheltered as you think I am, Chad."

"Really?"

"Really."

That's when Ryan leans over and kisses him.

  
+

It is awkward and stiff and tastes faintly of apple pie and nothing at all like Ryan has been imagining. Chad reaches up, and for a moment, Ryan's afraid he's going to shove him away in disgust or rage, but he only grabs at Ryan's shirt collar. He takes that as his cue to lean into the kiss, resting his hand on Chad's knee. His hat gets lost in the process, tumbling into the back seat, and it takes him a moment to register that Chad is kissing him back, slow and hard and inviting. He has kissed exactly two people before Chad – he is not the only boy in the drama club, after all – but this one feels like it actually counts for something.

When they come up for air, Ryan gasps, "Does that answer your question?"

Chad punches him in the shoulder... then kisses him again.

  
+

  
They emerge from Ryan's room later, both looking disheveled (Chad much more so than him, to be fair), and Sharpay snorts, "Oh, it's back."

"Good to see you, too," Chad laughs. Ryan blushes.

"Going out?" she asks, rifling through her magazine disinterestedly.

"Just walking him to his car," Ryan says.

"Okay! Oh... hey, Chad?" She motions him closer, closer, until she is fisting his t-shirt that reads THIS IS WHY I'M HOT, his ear is inches away from her lips, growling, "Remember: if you hurt him, I'll tear you limb from limb." She lets go and squeals, "Buh-bye!"

  
+

"Dude," Chad leans against his car, thumbs hooked in his jeans pockets and looking like an invitation. "Your sister is really kind of terrifying."

"I hadn't noticed," Ryan deadpans innocently. "She's not so bad, really, if you ignore most of what she says..."

Chad puts his hand on Ryan's hip, which makes him lose all train of thought. "Y'know, this," Chad motions to the space between them, "Is a little weird."

"Weird?"

"You don't think so?"

Ryan thinks this over. "I don't mind weird, if you don't."

"Nah," Chad says, before pressing his lips against Ryan's. "Normal's gotten old, anyway."

  



End file.
